The No. 15 Auburn Tigers move to 2-0 on the season after a 67-59 win over South Florida on Friday night at Neville Arena.
Sure, the Tigers came away victorious, but the win was anything but easy.
Auburn trailed the Bulls, 30-21 at halftime in what was a poor half for Auburn offensively. The Tigers shot 6-of-24 from the field and turned the ball over 11 times. Despite the team’s uncharacteristic performance, [autotag]Allen Flanigan[/autotag] stood tall above the rest in the first half.
Flanigan, who scored just three points in Auburn’s win over George Mason earlier in the week, scored eight points for Auburn in the first half, shooting 2-for-5, and pulling down two rebounds.
The Tigers upped their field goal percentage from 25% to 53% in the second half and outscored USF 46-29 to secure the win. Flanigan echoed his first half by scoring10 additional points, but [autotag]Wendell Green[/autotag] made a complete turnaround in the final 20 minutes.
After scoring two points in the first half, both from the free throw line, Green ended the game by going 5-for-8 from the field and converting 7-of-9 free throws to end the game as the team’s leader in points.
A third Tiger quietly played a role in the team’s victory. Junior [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] was one of five Tigers who played under 20 minutes but led the team in rebounds and had a great shooting night.
There is no doubt that without Green, Flanigan, and Moore, Auburn would more than likely be sitting with a 1-1 record right now. Because of their role in Auburn’s win, they earn “Tigers of the Game” honors, as voted on by the Auburn Wire staff.
Here is a look at how writers Taylor Jones, J.D. McCarthy, and River Wells voted following Auburn’s second win of the season.
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